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T K Baker

Publications and source records attributed to T K Baker.

7 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2003

Gene expression analysis of the acute phase response using a canine microarray.

The safety of pharmaceuticals is typically assessed in the dog and rat prior to investigation in humans. As a result, a greater understanding of adverse effects in these preclinical testing species would improve safety assessment. Despite this need, there is a lack of tools to examine mechanisms and identify biomarkers in the dog. To address this issue, we developed an Affymetrix-based oligonucleotide microarray capable of monitoring the expression of thousands of canine genes in parallel. The custom canine array contains 22,774 probe sets, consisting of 13,729 canine and 9045 human-derived probe sets. To improve cross-species hybridization with human-derived probes, the detection region was moved from the variable 3' UTR to the more homologous coding region. Testing of this strategy was accomplished by comparing hybridization of naive dog liver RNA to the canine array (coding region design) and human U133A array (standard 3' design). Although raw signal intensity was greater with canine-specific probe sets, human-derived probes detected the expression of additional liver transcripts. To assess the ability of this tool to detect differential gene expression, the acute phase response was examined in beagle dogs given lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Hepatic gene expression 4 and 24 h post-LPS administration was compared to gene expression profiles of vehicle-treated dogs (n=3/group). Array data was consistent with an acute inflammatory response, with transcripts for multiple cytokines and acute phase proteins markedly induced 4 h after LPS challenge. Robust changes in the expression of transcripts involved with glucose homeostasis, biotransformation, and extracellular matrix remodeling were observed 24 h post-dose. In addition, the canine array identified several potential biomarkers of hepatic inflammation. Strong correlations were found between gene expression data and alterations in clinical chemistry parameters such as serum amyloid A (SAA), albumin, and alkaline phosphatase (ALP). In summary, this new genomic tool successfully detected basal canine gene expression and identified novel aspects of the acute phase response in dog that shed new light on mechanisms underlying inflammatory processes.

Acute-Phase Reaction↗
PubMed2001

Temporal gene expression analysis of monolayer cultured rat hepatocytes.

The use of cultured primary hepatocytes within toxicology has proven to be a valuable tool for researchers, however, questions remain with regard to functional differences observed in these hepatocytes relative to the intact liver. Cultured hepatocytes have typically been described as dedifferentiated, a classification based upon the investigation of a few key cellular processes or hepatocellular markers. In the present study, parallel expression monitoring of approximately 8700 rat genes was used to characterize mRNA changes over time in hepatocyte cultures using Affymetrix microarrays. We isolated and labeled mRNA from whole rat livers, hepatocyte-enriched cell pellets, and primary cultured hepatocytes (4, 12, 24, 48, and 72 h postplating), and hybridized these samples to microarrays. From these data, several pairwise and temporal gene expression comparisons were made. Gene expression changes were confirmed by RT/PCR and by performing replicate experiments and repeated hybridizations using a rat toxicology sub-array that contained a 900-gene subset of the 8700-gene rat genomic microarray. PCR data qualitatively reproduced the temporal patterns of gene expression observed with microarrays. Cluster analysis of time course data using self-organizing maps (SOM) revealed a classic hepatocyte dedifferentiation response. Functional grouping of genes with similar transcriptional patterns showed time-dependent regulation of phase I and phase II metabolizing enzymes. In general, cytochrome P450 mRNA expression was repressed, but expression of phase II metabolizing enzymes varied by class (upregulation of glucuronidation, downregulation of sulfation). Potential metabolic targets for toxic insult, such as glutathione metabolism, gluconeogenesis, and glycolysis, were also affected at the transcriptional level. Progressive induction of several genes associated with the cellular cytoskeleton and extracellular matrix was observed in accord with physical changes in cell shape and connectivity associated with cellular adhesion. Finally, many transcriptional changes of genes involved in critical checkpoints throughout the hepatocyte cell cycle and differentiation process were observed. In total, these data establish a more comprehensive understanding of hepatocellular dedifferentiation and reveal many novel aspects of physiological and morphological hepatocyte adaptation. An assembly of all transcripts that demonstrated differential expression in this study can be found in the Supporting Information.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

Oxidative stress in nongenotoxic carcinogenesis.

The induction of oxidative stress in the target tissue has been proposed as a possible mechanism of action for nongenotoxic carcinogens. A variety of nongenotoxic hepatocarcinogens including peroxisome proliferators, organochlorines, barbiturates, and metals have been shown to produce an increase in reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the liver. Our group has examined the induction of oxidative stress by the organochlorine mouse hepatic carcinogen, dieldrin. Using a salicylate spin trap assay, dieldrin was found to produce mouse liver-specific increases in ROS in cultured hepatocytes. Increased amounts of hepatic 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine and malondialdehyde (MDA) and decreased levels of cellular antioxidants were also seen in cultured mouse hepatocytes following dieldrin treatment. In subchronically dieldrin-treated mice and rats, hepatic vitamin E (Vit E) was decreased correlated with dieldrin dose. While Vit E levels were decreased in both rats and mice, the normal lower levels of Vit E in the mouse resulted in a subsequent oxidative stress, evidenced by an increase in MDA formation in the mouse liver. Dieldrin also produced a dose-dependent increase in DNA synthesis in the mouse (not the rat) following subchronic treatment. These effects seen in both cells in culture and in vivo were species specific, organ specific, and dose dependent which directly correlated with the observed pattern of cancer induction for dieldrin in rodents (mouse liver-specific). These findings support a possible role for the induction of oxidative stress in nongenotoxic hepatic carcinogenesis possibly through modulation of gene expression.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

Inhibition of gap junctional intercellular communication by 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) in rat hepatocytes.

2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) is a potent rodent hepatic tumor promoter. Unlike observations with the majority of tumor promoting chemicals studied to date, most investigations have failed to demonstrate down-regulation of gap junctional intercellular communication (GJIC) in cultured cells by TCDD. The present study examined the effect of TCDD on GJIC in rat hepatocytes in primary culture. At non-cytolethal doses TCDD inhibited GJIC in a time- (1, 4, 24 and 48 h) and concentration (1 x 10(-8) - 1 x 10(-14) M)-dependent manner. This inhibition occurred within 4 h of treatment at doses of 1 x 10(-8) - 1 x 10(-12) M TCDD and persisted for up to 48 h, despite removal of TCDD. Treatment of rat hepatocytes with TCDD resulted in a decrease in hepatocyte connexin 32 mRNA, but had no apparent effect on connexin 26 mRNA. Co-incubation of rat hepatocytes with TCDD and alpha-napthoflavone abolished down-regulation of GJIC by TCDD. Similarly, co-treatment with a cAMP analog (8-bromoadenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate) prevented down-regulation of GJIC by TCDD. The results of this investigation demonstrated, for the first time, that TCDD inhibits GJIC in the in vivo target of its tumor promoting effect and that this effect may, in part, be mediated through the Ah receptor. In addition, this study showed that inhibition of GJIC by TCDD may be due to transcriptional down-regulation or stability of the connexin 32 gap junction mRNA.

8-Bromo Cyclic Adenosine Monophosphate↗
PubMed1994

Comparison of glucocorticoid-mediated changes in the expression and function of rat hepatocyte gap junctional proteins.

Gap junctional intercellular communication (GJIC) is often modulated by chemical carcinogens and during carcinogenesis, in part, through changes in gap junction mRNA levels. However, the mechanisms by which gap junction mRNA levels are altered in either normal or cancer cells are largely unknown. Since glucocorticoids are potent modulators of gene expression and stability, we have investigated the effects of these hormones on GJIC and gap junction mRNA expression in rat hepatocytes cultured in three different media. Addition of dexamethasone to cultures of rat hepatocytes resulted in a maintenance of GJIC and both major liver gap junctional mRNAs, connexin (Cx)26 and Cx32, at levels above those in hepatocytes cultured in glucocorticoid-free media. In addition, hepatocytes cultured without dexamethasone for 24 h could be induced to communicate and increase Cx mRNA levels by the addition of dexamethasone to their medium. These media-independent changes in GJIC and gap junction mRNA levels by dexamethasone warrant further investigations into their mechanisms of action and the potential therapeutic value of glucocorticoids in the treatment of cancer.

Animals↗